All fish / Doradidae

Mother of Pearl Catfish

Megalodoras uranoscopus

Also known as mother of pearl talking catfish, giant talking catfish, giant raphael catfish, megalodoras, bacu pedra, irwini catfish, megalodoras irwini, メガロドラス・イルウィニー, 珍珠母鲶

A large, heavily armoured thorny catfish with a row of bony scutes along each flank and a greyish brown body that can show a pearly sheen. It is kept by keepers of big South American setups for its calm nature, impressive size and long life.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

45 cm

Temperature

22 to 28 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

1000 litres

Keep as

Single specimen or a small group in a very large tank

Diet

Omnivore: sinking pellets, snails, mussels, shrimp, earthworms and vegetable matter

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

15 to 20 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Amazon and Orinoco basins: Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Guyana

Breeding

There are no reliable reports of captive breeding in home aquariums. All fish in the trade are wild caught.

Good to know

It grows very large and needs a huge tank with strong filtration, though it is generally peaceful towards fish too big to swallow. Handle with care, as the sharp scutes and fin spines catch in nets and can injure hands; it was formerly sold as Megalodoras irwini, now treated as a synonym.